Numerous mechanisms exist which produce vibrations during use, such as electrical generators and engines. It is often desirable to mount such mechanisms to a non-vibrating structure. Therefore, many of these mechanisms contain a system for isolating the vibration of the mechanism from the structure. One such system can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 07/601,255. Unfortunately, these primary vibration isolation systems do not eliminate all of the vibration from the mechanism.
An additional problem can arise when mechanisms like electrical generators and engines are mounted on mobile vehicles such as motorhomes, ambulances or the like. In these applications, the movement of the vehicle and forces exerted on the vehicle from rough road surfaces can create forces up to 4-G's on the mechanism. Therefore, the mechanism must be securely fastened to the structure to prevent unsafe levels of movement Or the possible loss of the mechanism if the mechanism is to be mounted on the outside of the vehicle. Typically, a mechanism would be bolted or anchored in some other way to the vehicle to eliminate any movement. Unfortunately, this method of attachment fails to provide any dampening of the vibrations emitted from the mechanism.
Therefore, there arises a need for a secondary vibration isolation system that can absorb vibratory forces from a mechanism with a primary vibration isolation system that can also withstand the forces that are incurred when the mechanism is used in a mobile application.